It may be hard to picture some of today’s most influential chefs in tiny toques, but they, too, were small children at one time, with big appetites and big dreams, both of which were likely fed by their mothers. This week, OpenTable checked in with four famous chefs to find out exactly how their mothers have influenced their careers, their kitchens, and even their menus. Our series concludes with the gifted Michael Mina, whose restaurants include the eponymous and Michelin-starred MICHAEL MINA as well as RN74 in San Francisco.

Born in Cairo and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, chef Michael Mina’s mother helped shape his palate early in his life. Says Mina, 42, “My mom is a fantastic cook of traditional Middle Eastern cuisine, and a couple of the recipes I use in my restaurants are hers, from my childhood meals at home.”

Of these very personal dishes diners can delight in, Mina, reveals, “A few of my mom’s recipes that I incorporate into some of my restaurants include the falafel recipe for my falafel burger, which has been on the Bourbon Steak bar burger menus for more than a year, as well as a traditional Middle Eastern dish of chickpeas, lentils, rice, peppers and onions, called kusheri, which has been served at my Seablue restaurants for many years.”

Photo: Courtesy of Mina Group

He continues, “Both of these dishes she made for me, and our family, when I was young. I loved them so much and am so pleased to be able to use them today in my restaurants. It really is to honor her.”

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Caroline Potter

Caroline Potter is the Chief Dining Officer for OpenTable, Inc. She’s a dining trend-spotter and an OpenTable VIP, who dines out more than she eats in and has accrued more than 10,000 Dining Rewards points. Caroline started working in restaurants as a teen and she's since tackled every front-of-the-house job, from bartender and hostess to runner and server. She trained as a chef at Manhattan’s prestigious French Culinary Institute, cooking at L’Ecole. In addition to her role at OpenTable, she has written about food from farm to table for New York City’s famed Greenmarket and Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End magazines. Caroline is also a Certified Master Gardener.